BBM update brings iPod Touch and iPad support, plus new features for Android and iOS

By Trevor Mogg November 15, 2013

as bbm offers details on future update

BlackBerry’s BBM messaging app looks set to get a bunch of new users with the company on Thursday adding support for iPod Touch and Wi-Fi-only iPad owners, though devices will need to be running iOS 6 or higher. These folks were left out when the free app launched on iOS, as well as Android, last month.

BlackBerry also included a raft of new features in Thursday’s update in an effort to bring it closer to the version enjoyed by so many BlackBerry users.

Those running BBM on Android now get support for BBM contact categories, with group list sorting and filtering improvements also included as part of the update.

Some Android users had reportedly been experiencing fast battery drainage with BlackBerry’s messaging app, though the Canadian mobile maker says a bug fix in the update should put an end to this. At the same time, a hiccup on the iOS version causing some contact names go missing has also been remedied.

BBM users on both platforms now have more options for sharing their BBM PIN barcode, and it’ll now be easier to find friends online who’re also using the app.

For iOS users, the update also offers improved support for right-to-left languages. More information on the new features can be found in a post on the BlackBerry blog here.

Take up of BBM among Android and iOS users was swift when it launched almost a month ago, with the app hitting 10 million downloads in its first 24 hours of availability, sending it straight to the top of app store charts around the world.

At the time of writing, however, it’s slipped to 77 in the US iTunes free app chart, with similar offerings such as WhatsApp and Kik both ahead of it.

October’s successful rollout followed an aborted attempt a month earlier when the mobile maker ran into difficulties due to the unexpected appearance online of an “unreleased version” of the software.

BBM for Android and iOS

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